The Great Heron

I woke up this morning to a majestic sight. Not 1, not 2, but 3 Great Herons dosing and fishing on the river! This was followed by a pair of Loons making their way up river. WOW! My friends are slowly coming back north and I’m enjoying every minute of it. There’s still about a foot of snow left on the ground but that hasn’t stopped any of the critters from migrating back to their summer homes.

Ok, let me get a little philosophical now…. 😉 Waking up to such a sight reminds me how fortunate I am to live among nature. The photos below were taken from my living room window! I feel like an invited guest in nature’s home. It confirms the choices I made almost 2 years ago now to be my own boss and pursue my career as a professional photographer. To follow my passion and reduce my stress level. When asked what I do for a living, I jokingly tell them that I’m a semi-retired photographer. 🙂 And that’s actually not too far from the truth. Don’t get me wrong, I still work roughly 40 hours a week (but it doesn’t feel like it when you,re having fun) but I also have my freedom to take off in my beautiful red canoe whenever the desire presents itself, read a book in my hammock listening to the chirping sounds of my feathered friends or even watch a movie at 2pm (see this article for a fun read!). What I’m trying to say is that it’s all a question of mindset; of your perception of yourself and how you view your life. I sometimes feel like a Great Heron, free and majestic, feeling the soft wind passing through my winged feathers on the warm currents of life. I try to make choices that will keep me happy because, for me, that’s what life is all about; happiness. Not the quest to find it but the quest to live with it every day. And seeing 3 Great Herons on my doorstep this morning filled me with gratitude and happiness.